Free safety Schellenberg: Next man up for Wildcats

Kansas State junior Dylan Schellenberg received high marks from Bill Snyder for his performance last week against TCU.

MANHATTAN — He was on the preseason roster but didn’t rate a biography in the Kansas State media guide, and until this week he wasn’t even included in the weekly pregame notes for player breakouts.

That is about to change. Dylan Schellenberg is now in the spotlight.

With free safety Ty Zimmerman expected to miss the Oklahoma game Saturday — and likely the remainder of the season with an injury — Schellenberg is thrust into a starting role for the Wildcats.

“They always say you have to be ready,” Schellenberg said after last Saturday’s win over TCU. “The last couple of games I’ve got in some time so I kind of got a feel for it, but you’ve always got to be ready.

“You hate to see that happen to Ty, but it was good to get out there and contribute and help the team get a win. I did some good things, and I did a lot of bad things. There’s always stuff to improve on. You can always do better.”

The basic bio facts on Schellenberg: He’s a 6-foot, 189-pound junior from Wichita and Maize High School who redshirted last season after transferring from Butler Community College.

He’s had spot time in six games, getting a few snaps at Texas Tech when Zimmerman hurt his shoulder. Zimmerman returned in that game, sealing the win by returning an interception 43 yards for a touchdown. But after going down last week against TCU, he spent the second half on the sideline on crutches with a boot on his right foot.

“You have to be precautious,” Wildcats coach Bill Snyder said Tuesday, “but he wanted to be on the field with his teammates.”

Speculation about the injury ranges from a high ankle sprain to a fractured fibula, which reportedly was the injury Zimmerman suffered in last year’s TCU game. He returned in time for the Fiesta Bowl, but his current status officially is unknown since Snyder doesn’t release injury information.

The unspoken prognosis is Zimmerman will not be on the field for his senior day when K-State faces the No. 22 Sooners at 11 a.m. at Snyder Family Stadium. When asked if Zimmerman would walk through the ceremony in uniform or on crutches, Snyder quipped, “We’re going to parachute him in.”

Schellenberg turned in a solid performance against TCU, although he did get beat for a 51-yard touchdown.

“Schellenberg really played well, I thought, with one exception when he let that ball get over the top of him,” Snyder said after the game. “It was a big play, and we cannot afford to give up big plays. Those are what bit us in the fanny early in the year.

“Aside from that, he played really well. I was proud of him. He had some opportunities the previous week because Ty was out, and he stepped up and played pretty well, so I have been proud of him.”

There was some question a week ago whether the bad shoulder would sideline Zimmerman, but Schellenberg’s preparation was no different as a backup or potential starter.

“I always practice like I’m going to play because you never know when you’re going to get in,” he said. “When you get in, you just have to perform under any circumstance.”

That’s the motto for most teams: Next man up.

“That’s the type of guys we have,” said K-State defensive back Randall Evans. “We tell them all the time, you’re always a play away from playing so don’t get too comfortable on the sideline. Always be prepared to get in the game, and that’s what happened to him.”

Dante Barnett knows all too well. Barnett made his starting debut last year as a redshirt freshman against Baylor when Zimmerman went down, and now he is the starting strong safety.

“Anytime you can go in the game and get your feet wet, it’s very helpful,” Barnett said. “Ty went out early in the game, so Schellenberg had enough time to adjust to the game. We got a chance to all get used to each other, so I feel that we played pretty good.

“It was very tough, but Dylan was ready. He’s been in and out the last couple of games, so he came into the game prepared.”

Schellenberg relied on Zimmerman’s advice and will absorb all the information he can during practice this week.

“He’s almost like a coach so I ask him everything,” Schellenberg said. “He helps me out a lot. It helps having him out there contributing any way he can.”

MUELLER ON AWARD LIST — Defensive end Ryan Mueller is one of 10 players on the semifinalist list for the Burlsworth Trophy, which is presented to the nation’s most outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on.

Texas Tech quarterback Baker Mayfield is the only other Big 12 player on the list. Last year, K-State center B.J. Finney was a semifinalist.